Human Services

Academic support is provided through CCD's Excel Zone, which helps students succeed by offering a variety of learning opportunities. We are located on campus on the 4th floor of the Confluence building.

CCD Online offers fully online certificates and degrees, and individual online courses to help match your busy schedule. This program offers between 57 and 65 percent of its degree either online or through a hybrid program.

Your first step is to see if online learning is right for you. Online and hybrid environments offer much more flexibility but require more self-direction and self-discipline. Certain work habits, learning styles and skills contribute to a successful online or hybrid learning experience.

Online Experience Questions?
303.352.6785 | TLC@ccd.edu

Some programs and/or courses may require additional fees in addition to the base tuition and fees. High-cost course fees are used to support the maintenance and development of the course labs and are embedded within your general tuition.

View the 2024-2025 Course Specific Fees

This program is eligible for federal financial aid.

Your first step is to connect with the Financial Aid office to discover how you can afford college. Our dedicated staff and support services help you wade through all the legal language and get you past the first hurdle to completing your educational goals.

In addition, CCD has $1,000,000 available in scholarships. Learn More!

A Two-Year Degree from CCD Can Lead to a Four-Year Degree from:

• Metropolitan State University of Denver - Human Services 
• Metropolitan State University of Denver - Social Work 
• University of Colorado Denver - Human Development and Family Relations

This program requires service-learning and internship field experiences. As part of the degree plan, you will complete HSE 188: Human Services Practicum I & HSE 288: Human Services Practicum II.

Practicum I provides experience in various service agencies to familiarize you with agency work and emphasizes developing observational skills, individual growth in self-awareness, interviewing skills, introduction to agencies and client systems.

Practicum II provides placement in a service agency where you will apply the values, concepts and skills gained in theory courses to the actual process of helping people. Emphasis is put on sharpening skills and knowledge, use of self in the helping process, understanding systems and use of community resources.

What Can I Do with My Major?

An associate degree in human services prepares you for entry-level positions in community non-profit and government public assistance agencies. It also prepares you for transfer to bachelor-level degree programs in human services, social work and human development through inter-institutional transfer agreements with the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado - Denver on the Auraria Campus.

Social and human service assistants have many job titles, including case work aide, clinical social work aide, family service assistant, social work assistant, addictions counselor assistant, and human service worker.

Between now and 2030 the number of social and human services jobs is expected to increase by about 30% as the country's elderly population grows and the demand for mental health and substance abuse treatment continues to increase. 

An increase in the number of older adults is expected to result in a growing demand for social services such as the delivery of meals and adult daycare. Because social and human service assistants often arrange for these services, there will need to be more of them to meet this increased demand.

In addition, growth is expected as more people seek treatment for their addictions and more drug offenders are sent to treatment programs rather than to jail. As a result, demand should increase for social and human service assistants who work in treatment programs or work with people with addictions.

How Much Can I Expect to Earn?

The median annual wage for social and human service assistants was $41,410 in May 2023.

The information provided here is by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.

• There are approximately 314 students declared in one of two Human Services Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree programs as of the 2016-2017 academic year (145 students in the A.A.S. Human Services Transfer and 169 in the A.A.S. Human Services Pre-Social Work Track). The fall 2016 headcount for the program was 250 students.
• Approximately 15 percent of our program students are male, while 85 percent are female. Sixty-five percent of our students identify as an ethnic minority, 78 percent identify as low income, and 15 percent indicate they have a disability. Additionally, 28 percent of our college students attend full-time, while 72 percent attend part-time.
• There are two (2) full-time faculty members (one of which also serves as the program chair) and two (2) adjunct instructors in the program. There will be two (2) additional adjunct instructors joining the program in the spring 2019 semester.
• The average class size for the program is 20 students and the faculty to student ratio is 1:20.
• The human services program awarded 133 Associate of Applied Science degrees between 2011 and 2018: 96 for the A.A.S. Human Services Transfer, 17 for the A.A.S. Human Services Pre-Social Work, and 20 for the A.A.S. Human Services (non-transfer degree, which was discontinued in 2015).
• Faculty ratings by students have transitioned from a quantitative method to a qualitative evaluation, therefore, traditional number ratings are no longer collected. Qualitative narratives of student ratings of faculty members are available upon request.
• The human services department utilizes an advisory committee in a variety of ways to enhance the overall programming offered to students. The committee meets once per semester (typically in fall and in spring terms) and includes both internal and external representation. Members represent a cross-section of public and private sector agencies in the community in disciplines relevant to human services. The human services advisory committee assists the program by providing information about current community needs and trends so that curricular and/or program changes can be implemented to address those needs and trends.

Archived Information